SeventyTwo Months
by CountessCora
Summary: While attending a charity event,Gibbs is in for the surprise of his life.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: These characters do not belong to me. The title of this chapter comes from a song by She & Him of the same name. I hope you enjoy this as much as I liked writing it.

Seventy-Two Months

Chapter One

I Thought I Saw Your Face Today

May, 2011

Washington, D.C.

The late spring rains had returned, falling in seemingly unending sheets that blanketed the city. It drummed against the windowpanes of Gibbs' house as his alarm turned to 5:30AM and began to beep. Lately, it was a rare morning that Gibbs actually awoke in his own bed instead of beginning the day in whatever awkward position in which he had fallen asleep in the basement while working on his boat. Today, however, he knew that he had a long two days ahead of him, so he had stopped at an early hour. As much as he had resisted the idea, Director Vance had made it clear that he expected Gibbs to attend a weekend fundraising event, all in the name of public relations. It did not matter to Vance that Gibbs was not exactly a "society event" kind of man, he had insisted just the same. In whatever free time Gibbs could manage, he would have much preferred to spend the hours in the solitary company of his boat and a bottle of bourbon. Therefore, he could not wait for the upcoming weekend to be over. He made his way through the daytime hours as if on autopilot. Early evening arrived before he knew it, which meant it was time to go back home and prepare for the night.

The rain was still pouring down in heavy torrents when Gibbs arrived home, setting a rather melancholy tone on the night. The late May rains always reminded him of the days immediately following Kate's death six years earlier. He realized, with fresh pangs of pain, that he missed her more now than every before, even after all this time. It had slowly dawned on him over the past six years how deeply he had cared for her. He had truly fallen in love!

He absentmindedly dressed for the night's events in a dark charcoal gray suit paired with a bright cerulean blue shirt and a striped tie. The tie accented the charcoal shade in the suit and the cerulean in the shirt, which made his eyes look deeper blue than ever. Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the hotel where the first event of the weekend was taking place. He moved quickly from the car to the lobby to avoid the ever-increasing downpour. Distracted by his thoughts, Gibbs took a wrong turn down the hallway and found himself in the room where the press had amassed to cover the weekend festivities. Upon realizing his mistake, he was just leaving when he saw a woman on the other side of the room. She was beautiful, wearing a plum-colored dress and very absorbed in a conversation with a man Gibbs didn't recognize. He closed his eyes and opened them again because he couldn't believe what he was seeing! She looked EXACTLY like Kate! The only difference was her hairstyle, which was longer, a deep caramel brown with scattered highlights. He stood frozen in place, transfixed as he watched her.

"Sir?" A man near the door approached Gibbs. "You need to pick up your press pass at the main desk."

"I don't have one," Gibbs replied, not taking his eyes away from the woman across the room. "Tell me," he began with an uncharacteristic lack of caution or assessment. "Who is the woman in the purple dress?"

"That's Tina Collins and her editor, Peter Roberts, from the New York Times," the man answered.

"I see," Gibbs said, as his heart fell to his feet. He instantly chided himself for such an irrational hope as the one that had sprung up in him upon seeing her. As he turned to leave, Tina Collins suddenly looked his way. They stared at each other for a moment in time that felt like an eternity. Her expression was thoughtful and intense but otherwise unreadable.

She turned to her editor. "I'll just be a moment, Peter. There's someone I need to talk to…" she trailed off as she watched Gibbs disappear into the hallway, quickly following after him. He stepped into the elevator and she barely caught up to him in time. The elevator was crowded with almost twenty people; however, she was determined to be near the man with the ocean-blue eyes. After four stops, everyone else had left the elevator and they were alone at last. She gazed at him for a moment, before approaching

him in what seemed to be slow motion. When she reached Gibbs, she leaned up to kiss him. As their lips met, Gibbs let himself give in to the mysterious spark that had begun in the pressroom. He closed his eyes and only opened them when they finally pulled apart and he heard her whispering in his ear, "I've wanted to do that … for seventy-two months.."

"_I can't believe it," Gibbs thought to himself. "She even has Kate's voice." _Who could she be?

The elevator suddenly stopped at the ground floor, returning them back from their thoughts into the present. Tina stepped off the elevator first, then turned back to the befuddled man behind her.

"Come to the jazz club," she said, her gaze still intent on him. "It's the one around the corner from here."

"Jazz club?" he managed to repeat.

She nodded. "Seven o'clock. It'll be fun." She grinned at him as she started to walk away. "You'll like it. I promise!"

Sent from my iPad


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: These characters do not belong to me. The title of this chapter comes from a song of the same name. In addition, the songs that appear in this chapter are "Travelin' Light" composed by Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and "Take It Back" was written by Zooey Deschanel of She & Him. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

**Chapter Two "Travelin' Light"**

Gibbs stood in silence as he watched the mystery woman disappear down the hallway and into the hotel lobby. Still able to smell her perfume, he followed eagerly. It contained the fragrance of blueberries and vanilla, also strongly reminding him of Kate. Running mainly on memories and quite little on logic, Gibbs grabbed a newspaper from the front desk, using it to shield himself from the rain as he made his way to the jazz club.

Inside, the club was dimly lit, with tables on one side opposite the stage and a bar that ran perpendicular to the left. As soon as his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Gibbs spotted Ducky sitting alone at one of the front tables.

"I never pegged you for a jazz fan," Ducky said, grinning at Gibbs. "Do have a seat, Jethro!"

Gibbs gladly accepted the invitation. "I didn't expect to find myself here, either, truth be told."

"So to what do we owe the honor?" Ducky inquired. "Or is it to whom…?"

"Definitely a whom," Gibbs replied. He hesitated, unsure if the events of the last half-hour were suitable to share with anyone. Yet, if he was going to tell someone, he knew Ducky would be the best listener.

Ducky signaled the waiter. "Another round, and one for my friend, please."

"What are we drinking to, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Bourbon," Duck said, knowing it was something they both liked. "What's on your mind, Jethro?"

Gibbs took a deep breath and told Ducky all about the pressroom, the elevator and his invitation to the jazz club. Ever patient and open minded, Ducky listened to every word without judgment or an incredulous expression. Before he coud respond, a new song began to play. Both men looked toward the stage to see Peter Roberts sitting at the piano, playing the introduction to a slow jazz ballad. Standing beside the piano was the mystery woman from the pressroom. She was still wearing the deep purple dress, now paired with a sequined black shrug instead of the matching jacket she had worn before.

Ducky nearly choked on his bourbon. "Is she the one?"

Gibbs could only nod.

The song passed the introduction and she began to sing:

"_I'm travelin' light, because my man has gone,_

_And from now on, I'm travelin' light._

_He said goodbye and took my heart away,_

_So from now on, I'm travelin' light."_

"Oh, my," Ducky said. "I see what you mean. Surely they must be related or something of that order."

"Something of that order…" Gibbs trailed off, simultaneously haunted by her presence and enjoying the song. He was sure that as the song ended, she looked straight at him, although the expression in her eyes gave nothing away.

The pianist struck a new chord and began a new song, more dramatic and melancholy than the last.

"_Take it back, oh, take it back,_

_I don't want your loving anymore._

_Let me live, oh, let me live,_

_It's not you that I sing for…_

_I don't want to wonder whether you love me._

_I don't want to wonder whether you care…"_

When the song was finished Gibbs had hoped that Tina Collins might approach his table, but she and Peter headed to the bar instead. He sighed and stared down into his bourbon.

"Oh, good! It seems we have an opportunity!" Ducky's voice brightened.

"What is it?" Gibbs inquired, seeing nothing good about the situation.

"She's having a drink," Ducky began, "and it appears that the bartender will be too busy to clear her glass immediately after she's finished." He stood up and turned in the direction of the bar. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Gibbs nodded, with a slight smile. "I'll call Abby."

"Now you two are stealing glasses from the local bars?" Abby teased. "I guess no one could blame you for wanting to upgrade from your usual Mason jars, Gibbs!"

"This isn't just any glass," Ducky explained. "It belongs to a woman who looks as though she could be Kate's twin."

Abby listened carefully to the entire story, still holding the wineglass. "Wow! That's …'way beyond hinky!"

"You're telling me," Gibbs said. "So, do you think you can get a fingerprint? DNA?"

"Your wish is my command," Abby replied, and began to go to work on the glass in question.

They waited as she examined and tested the glass with the utmost of solemn concentration. Even a DNA match wouldn't take long, as the lab had samples from all past and present agents. It seemed like hours later when Abby turned to them with a sheet of paper in her hand. Her eyes were as big as saucers and her face had turned paler than normal.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," commented Gibbs.

Abby shook her head. "No, but I think you have!"

"Are they related?" Ducky asked.

"No," Abby began. "Tina Collins is NOT related to Kate."

Gibbs sighed and squinted down at the floor. Why had to dared hope?

"They aren't related," Abby stated slowly, unable to believe what she was about to say. "because somehow, Tina IS Kate. It's a 100% match on both fingerprints and DNA."

"And DNA doesn't lie," Ducky said in a shocked tone.

Somewhere in the distance, an alarm clock began to ring …


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: These characters do not belong to me. The title of this chapter is a line from the song "Maudlin Career" by Camera Obscura. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

**Chapter 3 I Don't Want To Be Sad Again**

Gibbs reached to turn off the alarm with more of his mind still in the dream than in the cold reality of waking up alone on a stormy morning. He almost immediately chided himself for the sense of disappointment that enveloped him as he awoke fully. No amount of hoping for something impossible could make it come true. Kate was gone and not coming back. Nothing could change that fact. He reluctantly looked at his eveningwear hanging across the room. As he thought about the night's upcoming event, he felt even more of an aversion than he had before.

Gibbs tried to force the dream out of his mind, but when he rode the elevator up to the bullpen at work, the memory of the kiss from his dream became even stronger. Once he was home for the night, preparing for the evening felt like déjà vu. He dressed without thinking. Upon reaching the hotel, he quickly darted from the car into the lobby in order to avoid getting drenched from the ongoing thunderstorm. This time, however, Gibbs was sure that he found his way to the correct area of the building, as far away from both the elevators and the pressroom as possible.

Once he reached his destination, he was relieved to hear a familiar voice. "Right on time, Jethro," a smiling Ducky greeted him. "Why don't we have a drink?"

The idea sounded perfect to Gibbs. "You read my mind, Duck!"

"You seem rather pensive," Ducky observed over their second round of bourbon. "Anything you would like to tell me?"

Gibbs nodded. "It's kind of hard to explain," he said.

"Many things are," stated Ducky. "And I've heard many things," he continued. "Do tell, Jethro."

In the same trusting manner in which he had confided the story of Tina in his dream, Gibbs told the older man all about the odd images that had floated through his mind during the previous night. He knew without having to ask that Ducky would keep his confidence.

"Oh, my," Ducky sighed with sympathy once Gibbs had finished. "You must really wish you were anywhere but here!"

"That's an understatement," agreed Gibbs.

Ducky stood up. "Let's get out of here straightaway, then!"

Gibbs nodded, banishing all thoughts of the director and his insistence on broadening public relations. However, just as they were leaving, Gibbs' cell phone rang. It was none other than Director Vance.

"You're at the hotel with Dr. Mallard?" Vance asked.

"Been here for nearly an hour," answered Gibbs, slightly irritated because he could only interpret the call as an attempt to check on him to see if he had truly gone to the fundraiser.

"I need to see both of you in my office right away!" Vance intoned.

"Something wrong, Leon?" Gibbs inquired. The director's voice sounded more serious than ever, even a bit incredulous.

"No," Vance said, after a pause. "There's something I need to discuss with you and Dr. Mallard as soon as possible. It's extremely important!"

"We're on our way," Gibbs replied. Once again, he headed back into the rainy night.

Vance looked rather unnerved when Gibbs and Ducky arrived at his office. Ducky read Vance's expression closely, which seemed to be a combination of astonishment and relief, above the uneasiness on the surface.

"A lot of what I'm about to tell you will seem rather startling. It IS startling!" Vance amended his words carefully.

Gibbs' famous gut began to alert him to all sorts of possible scenarios, none of them good. "Is it one of my agents? One of them in trouble?" Or worse, he thought.

"No," Vance responded carefully. "I wouldn't call it that."

"With all due respect, Director," Ducky began, "please inform us of the situation." Even the usually calm doctor was becoming more and more tense.

"No one's in trouble," Vance started, "not anymore. A few years ago, the FBI and CIA became aware of an international threat. They had to act very quickly to gather Intelligence and eliminate the threat before the person of interest could carry out his plans. I assure you that, until this afternoon, I had been totally unaware of this situation. If I had known, the two of you would have been in the loop, as well."

It was taking every iota of patience that both Gibbs and Ducky possessed to remain silent as Vance spoke.

"I'll just cut to the chase," Vance continued. "The person whom Intelligence decided must be eliminated was Ari Haswari. The only way to accomplish this was to make it appear as though he had killed a member of your team. They had no other choice."

At this point, Gibbs was no longer able to listen. Leon's words echoed in his mind…APPEAR as though he had killed Kate.

"That's right, Gibbs. It was Kate," Vance answered, startling Gibbs as he realized that he had just spoken her name aloud without meaning to do so outside his own thoughts. Gibbs slowly focused his eyes on Vance, waiting with dread to hear the alarm clock ring; however, there was only silence.

"Oh, my," Ducky murmured in a tone of complete shock.

"Are you telling me that Kate's death was staged, that she's …" Gibbs trailed off.

"Alive?" Vance filled in the question remaining in Gibbs' mind. "Yes, she's alive. She was taken by the FBI to a safe house in New York City and kept in hiding for the first four years until it could be determined that Ari and his associates had been eliminated. Then she was given a new identity and trained as a journalist, assisting one of the copy editors of the New York Times. But, as of tonight," Vance paused so the men could absorb the information he had given them, "the mission is over and she is free to return to her original identity and original life. She wants to come back to Washington, so that's where she is currently being assigned."

"To us? Here?" Gibbs asked, dumbfounded.

"If you wish, yes," replied Vance.

"It would be an honor," Gibbs stated, never before meaning those words as much as he did at that moment.

Vance smiled, appearing more relaxed than he had all evening. "I'm glad to hear that, Agent Gibbs. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it as well." He stood up and started to walk toward the door. "I'll go tell her now."

"She's here?" Ducky blurted, uncharacteristically.

Vance nodded. "Yes. She's in a conference room down the hall with Agent Walters."

Once Vance had left the office, Gibbs and Ducky stared at one another, both at a loss for words at the prospect of seeing Kate again. Gibbs prayed once again that he would not hear a distant alarm ringing as he had in the dream! All he heard was the pounding of his heart, followed by the sound of the door opening. He looked up to see the woman with whom he had been in love for over eight years, six of them in her absence.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: These characters do not belong to me. This chapter's title comes from a song by She & Him of the same name. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. I hope you enjoy the conclusion!

**Chapter 4 I Was Made For You**

Gibbs was so overwhelmed by the emotion of seeing Kate again that when he tried to say her name, all that came out was a choked whisper. She, too, was not succeeding in her similar attempt to keep her composure. Instead, she rushed across the room into the waiting arms of Gibbs and Ducky.

"I don't know what to say. I've missed you so much and I was so afraid this day would never come," Kate looked at them, with tears streaming down her face.

"Me, too," Gibbs whispered. "Me, too."

"Dear Caitlin," Ducky said through his own tears, "I cannot say how wonderful it is to have you back!"

Not even Vance or Agent Walters were dry-eyed. Gibbs was no longer concerned about hearing alarm clocks in the distance as he realized that this reunion was very unlike the one in his dream. Kate looked almost exactly as she had the last time they had seen one another. Her hair was the same color, only a little longer, and she wore an emerald green dress, not the purple one from the dream. There was no pressroom, elevator or jazz club involved. While the dream had been achingly fantastic, reality was by far better.

As soon as the initial shock and emotion had subsided, Kate had a question for Gibbs. "So, you're letting me back on your team, just like that?"

"Of course!" Gibbs laughed, for the first time in what felt like forever. "What else would I do?" Their eyes locked and at that moment they both understood that their relationship went far deeper than coworkers. They had each come to an awareness of their love for one another over the last six years. The expression they shared was not lost on Ducky or Vance.

Ducky checked his watch. "It's getting late, so I'd best be on my way home," he announced with a grin. "I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do. See you tomorrow, Caitlin!"

"See you tomorrow, Ducky," Kate replied, delighted by how good it felt to say those words.

"Agent Walters and I are headed back to the FBI offices," Vance said as he and the other man followed Ducky out of the room. Agent Walters turned to Gibbs and Kate and gave them a small smile as he knew she was certainly in good hands.

"I missed everyone," Kate said as soon as the door had closed and they were alone. "But you were the one I longed for." She was unsure whether or not she had said too much.

"I thought about you every day," Gibbs said, "and I have waited 72 months to tell you that I love you." He pulled her into his embrace and they shared a kiss far more passionate than the kiss in his dream.

"I love you, too," she said, never wanting to look away from his ocean-blue eyes.

"We can't stay here in Director Vance's office forever," Gibbs observed after a moment.

"Why don't you walk me back to my hotel?" Kate asked. "It's only a couple of blocks away. Some type of event is being held there tonight, so it's really busy and loud!"

"I know," Gibbs replied. "Vance insisted that I go, that is, until I got a certain phone call."

"Doesn't he know you at all?" Kate started to laugh. "It's common knowledge that you prefer your time away from work with your boat and a jar of bourbon."

That may be about to change, he thought, as they left the building.

The rain had stopped and it had become a beautiful moonlit night. As they walked, Gibbs said very little. Instead, he let Kate tell him whatever she felt ready to share about the last six years. She told him how many books she'd read and movies she'd watched during the first four years before being given the new identity of Liz Harris, assistant to one of the editors of the New York Times. But her true comfort had come from all the music that became her constant companion. Agent Walters had even invented a way to set up a secure wireless connection so she could discover and download music online. "I'll bet my music collection rivals that of DiNozzo's DVD's," she told Gibbs.

It was then that Gibbs decided to tell Kate about his dream, including the jazz club.

"I think we swapped dreams there, Gibbs," Kate said with a wistful expression. "Well, not literally, but there was this little jazz club, just a hole in the wall in New York, where I would go to listen to the local jazz groups after work at the Times. A few of the writers from the paper had formed a little combo and played there on occasion. They asked me to sing with them, but I always had to turn them down in order to keep a low profile. But the daydreams…"

"Got into my own dreams," Gibbs finished. He promised himself that he would take her there one day, if she wanted.

"Exactly," Kate replied as they arrived at the hotel. "Well, we're here." She was disappointed that their walk had ended so soon, although she knew there would be many more.

Gibbs left, a different man than the one who had first arrived at the hotel earlier that night. Where the night had begun with despair, it had ended with hope. Although he knew that Kate would need time to adjust back into her old life, he also knew that they would be a part of each others' futures forever.

THE END


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